


orpheus

by my_middle_name_is_awkward



Series: Our Love is Like a Song [3]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Canon Compliant, Coda, Episode: s03e10 Sebastian Raine, M/M, Post 3x10, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 07:55:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18494650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_middle_name_is_awkward/pseuds/my_middle_name_is_awkward
Summary: “David-“ Patrick’s voice was full of emotion and David shook his head.“I wish I could go back to a time where I thought people genuinely liked me, go back to a time before I knew the truth,”“I don’t know about any of the assholes back in New York, but everybody here likes you,” Patrick walked up beside him and nudged him. “And I don’t know who wouldn’t want to spend time with you. In the few weeks we’ve known each other, you’ve become one of my favorite people to talk to.”





	orpheus

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this one is kind of my baby because it's what sparked the idea for this series and I'm pretty proud of it, so please be kind! It's also a lot longer than the other two because it got away from me, so I apologize for that! Also, unlike the others, this one isn't completely after the episode. The first half takes place in the middle of the episode and the end takes place after. I just felt like we all needed to see Patrick's reaction to Sebastien (and also that jacket, which of course I had to work in somehow). Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Again no beta, so sorry for any mistakes!
> 
> This is inspired by Orpheus by Sara Bareilles (also spoiler alert, this will not be the only Sara Bareilles song used). It's off of her new album Amidst the Chaos and I highly recommend it! When I first listened to this song, I knew it had so many great lyrics that worked with David and Patrick so well! The one I picked for this one was what made me want to find a lyric for every episode, so if you like this little series, you can thank Sara Bareilles!

_I know you miss the world, the one you knew, the one where everything made sense because you didn’t know the truth_

David is on edge. Ever since he had come in that day, ten minutes early instead of late, which was something in and of itself, he’s been moving around the store frantically, barely speaking a word to Patrick.

Normally, Patrick might assume that he had done something wrong, but from the few weeks he has been getting to know David Rose, he knows that the man is a lot more aggressive when it comes to someone doing something he’s not okay with. He had no trouble telling his sister that she was lazy when she had been helping out the week before.

Though he knew it wasn’t about him, he was still concerned about David. Normally as soon as he gets into the store, he has at least a half an hour worth of stories to tell about what had happened at the motel that morning. This morning, there was nothing but silence and it felt heavy to Patrick.

Around 11:30 that morning, Patrick finally broke. David was rearranging some hand creams for the third time and he knew he needed to say something or David might snap.

“David?” David’s head snapped up, eyes wide in alarm. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah!” He replied quickly, making Patrick raise an eyebrow at him. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I’m not sure,” Patrick responded, moving from out behind the counter to stand across from David. “But you’ve barely said anything to me all day, and I’m pretty sure I haven’t done anything to offend you,”

“Well, maybe I’m just not in the mood to talk,” David said defensively.

“You’re always in the mood to talk,”

“Okay, that’s rude,”

Patrick threw his arms up in defeat. “Okay, fine. You don’t have to tell me anything. Just know that I’m here if you need someone to talk to,” David considered him for a moment, but stayed silent, so Patrick went back to his task of hooking up the cash register.

It was seven minutes later when David blurted out, “We’re friends, aren’t we?” Patrick’s eyebrow arched in confusion and David sighed. “I mean, we aren’t just business partners, we’re more than that,” David’s eyes widened. “Not like that, just like...friends,” He finished awkwardly and Patrick chuckled.

“Yeah, David, I’d say we’re friends,”

“So, would it be okay if I maybe talked to you about something a little more personal than inventory?” David asked shyly, avoiding his gaze. In any other situation, Patrick wouldn’t hesitate to point out that David constantly talked about more than things relating to the store, but he could tell David didn’t need that right now.

“Well, I don’t think there’s anything more personal than inventory,” That got a small smile from the other man. “But go for it,” David finally stopped messing with the bottles of hand cream, turning so he was leaning against the table. He crossed his arms over his chest and the look on his face made him look younger.

“So, um,” David swallowed and shifted against the table. “My ex is in town and I don’t think I’m handling it well?”

Patrick gave him a puzzled look, wanting to ask dozens of questions that he knew were not something you should ask someone you were only supposed to see as a _friend_ , so he went down the easy route. “You phrased that like a question, David.”

He sighed again. “Okay, I know, I’m not handling it well, happy?”

“No,” Patrick said, leaning against the table. “I’m not happy that you aren’t handling this well.” David bit his lip and Patrick tried his best to ignore the inappropriate thoughts that came into his head at the action. “What’s going on?”

David tipped his head up, staring at the ceiling for a moment before looking back at Patrick. “This is really embarrassing,”

“I won’t judge,” Patrick replied, wanting to say that he really couldn’t talk much seeing as he had dated Rachel for years while deep down knowing that he wasn’t even remotely straight.

David stared at him for a moment, looking uncertain. “I don’t know, you seem to like to tease me,”

“I won’t, David,” Patrick said earnestly. “This is clearly bothering you, so I’m not going to make it worse for you,” That got a little smile out of the other man and Patrick smiled back. “Now, tell me what’s up,”

So, David launched into his story about a pretentious man named Sebastien Raine that he dated for three months, four if you counted when Sebastien was seeing other people. David described the man as someone who used other people to get what he wanted, or at least, used David to get what he wanted.

“He’s a photographer, I had a gallery in New York, can you see where this is going?” David had asked, an air of self-deprecating humor surrounding him.  

And then he told Patrick about the break-up, the endless viewings of Bridget Jones’ Diary, and the mall pretzels. He explained that he didn’t know why he was so hurt because he knew he had never loved Sebastien, but it crushed him. Then he mentioned that he figured moving to Schitt’s Creek meant that he would never have to see him again, but he had figured out he was wrong this morning when his mother announced Sebastian was coming to talk to her about photography.

“This guy sounds like a real tool,” Patrick comments, gripping the side of the counter tightly to push down his rage.

"I saw him this morning at the motel,” David rushed out. “He told me I looked _healthy_ , whatever that means,”

Patrick rolled his eyes, but deep down, he was glad that David didn’t seem to be throwing himself back into a toxic relationship. And he knew he was only glad because it wasn’t good for the store for the owner to be wrapped up in some douchebag. That’s the only reason.

“Well, fuck that guy,” Patrick said, noticing the way David balked at his language. “You look great,”

David smiled his classic half smile half smirk at the compliment. “Well, thank you,”

“I’m sorry this is happening,” Patrick said sincerely. “Exes can be the worst,” He felt guilty for saying it because he loved Rachel, but getting the string of random texts that he knew was just made to seem like an accident was getting old. He was just glad that his situation wasn’t like David’s.

“I know he’s using my mom for something, but I haven’t figured it out.” David groaned. “And she won’t stop claiming it’s because he wronged me,”

“You’re cautious _because_ he wronged you,” Patrick said and David looked at him with wide eyes. “It makes sense that you’re worried about your mom working with him. He seems like a dick,”

“He is,” David hummed. “Unfortunately, he’s very handsome and _very_ charming, which he uses to his advantage. He had Stevie agreeing to be photographed naked within seconds of meeting her,”

“Jesus,” Patrick breathed. “But at least you know it’s not just you that’s been charmed by him,”

“I fell for it for so long,” David groaned again and uncrossed his arms, turning back to the hand creams.

“David, don’t beat yourself up about it. This guy seems very manipulative, which means he knows exactly how to make people fall for it.” David continued to avoid his gaze. “Seriously, there’s no reason for you to be embarrassed about this. You didn’t do anything wrong,”

“I just…” David’s voice was quiet and Patrick’s heart ached for him. “I just want him _gone,_ ”

“And he will be,” Patrick said, hoping that he was right because it was clearly hurting David, and because of the simmering jealousy that was starting to bubble inside of him.

After a moment of silence, David turned to him with a small smile. “Thank you,”

“For what?”

“For being my friend,” The sentence brought mixed emotions. On the one hand, he was thrilled to be friends with David, on the other, he hated being just friends with David, which was becoming more and more clear as the weeks went on.

\---

**I was right**

_About what?_

**Sebastien.**

**He’s trying to humiliate my mom.**

**He took pictures of her around town and is planning to put them in a magazine or something, which doesn’t seem like much, but my mom is freaking out because she doesn’t want people seeing her in this town.**

_Shit, what an asshole._

**I have an idea.**

**It’s really stupid.**

**Like so stupid.**

**But it might just work.**

_Just be careful, okay?_

**I will. I think it’s safe to say that I’m immune to his...whatever at this point.**

_Call me if you need me._

***Thumbs up emoji***

\---

David felt good, _really_ good. Not only had he proven to his mother that he was right about Sebastien’s intentions, but he had destroyed the memory card, _and_ gotten the last word with Sebastien.

(Of course, there was a small amount of shame about sleeping with him, but he tried to tell himself that he had to do it to get the memory card, even though he knew it was just to get some sort of control back in the dynamic between the two.)

But, he actually feels somewhat proud of not falling back into whatever he had with Sebastien. He knows that if this had happened last year, or even a few months ago, he would have jumped at the chance to be with him again. But he hadn’t, hadn’t even really wanted to.

As he’s walking down the street, on his way to the store, he can’t help but think about how much he’s grown. He’s more confident, happier even, and he has this town to thank for that, but of course, he’ll never admit that to anyone because he still had some self-respect.

And David can’t help but think that his business partner might have something to do with that too.

Ever since he met Patrick, there’s been this stirring in his gut. At first, he just thought he was attracted to the handsome man, but then, as he got to know he, he knew it was deeper than that. Whether he liked it or not, he was developing _feelings_ for Patrick. 

He was doing his best to shut them out because he did not need the angst of falling for a straight guy, but every once in a while, Patrick would look at him or make a comment that made David believe that maybe he wasn’t as heterosexual as David thought.

Like right now, for example. David was still wearing his leather jacket, which he wasn’t ashamed to admit he looked amazing in. He had gone back to his room after the whole Sebastian situation and showered. After he was done, he put his outfit from the night before back on because it made him feel confident and he deserved that today. And it wasn’t like he had worn it for very long last night.

As soon as he walked into the store, Patrick’s eyes were on him, scanning his outfit with wide eyes and a slightly agape mouth. David stopped in his tracks at the heated gaze and a moment later, Patrick snapped out of it.

“Hey,” He said, a little breathlessly, which sent a tingle down David’s spine.

“Hey,”

“You’re early,”

“I’m on time,”

“Well, on time is early for you,” Patrick teased, moving out from behind the counter, leaning against it. “Nice outfit,”

“Thank you,” David smirked. “Sebastien thought so too,” Patrick raised an eyebrow.

“Did this have to do with your ‘really stupid’ plan?” Patrick asked, using air quotes, which David would find annoying with anyone else, but with Patrick, it was incredibly endearing.

“Yes it did,” David said, brushing past him to place his bag in the back. When he returned, Patrick was leaning against the counter, curious expression on his face.

“Are you going to tell me what happened?”

“I destroyed the memory card with all the pictures he took of my mother,” David said, pride clear on his face.

“You did?” Patrick grinned. “Good job,”

“And I might have come out on top,” David smirked again at the innuendo, but sweet little Patrick just gave him a puzzled look.

“How so?”

“I came out _on top_ ,” David hinted and Patrick’s eyes widened as realization dawned on him.

“Oh,” He breathed out. “Oh, um,”

“Don’t worry,” David said quickly. “I’m not back with him, it was strictly to get the memory card and some of my dignity back,”

“So, you slept with him…” Patrick said slowly and David suddenly felt guilty, as if he was hurting Patrick someway, but he quickly shoved that thought aside.

“Yes,” David tapped his fingers against the counter. “It’s really hard to explain, but it made me feel better because for once, I was calling the shots.” David chuckled to himself. “He even thought that he had manipulated me again, I could see it on his face. But you should have seen it when I told him what I did to the memory card,”

Patrick’s expression was unreadable, which was something that’s never happened before. Patrick had always had his heart on his sleeve, expressions like an open book, but not now. It caused a pang of sadness in his heart.

“Are you mad at me?” He blurted out and Patrick’s eyes widened.

“What? Why would I be mad at you?”

“I don’t know, you’re being weird,”

“It’s none of my business,” Patrick shrugged and then turned towards the table to move some of the products around.

“Are you judging me right now? Because you told me you wouldn’t be judgemental about all of this-”

“No, no, no,” Patrick spun around, expressive eyes showing his worry. “I’m not judging you, David. If this helped you get over what happened, then I’m glad you did it. I’m sure it was nice to have some sort of closure,”

“It was,” David said, eyebrows scrunched together.

“Great,”

“Then why are you being weird?”

“I’m not,” Patrick said, turning around again.

“Yes, you are,”

“I guess I’m just tired,”

“Okay,”

Normally, David would continue to poke and prod, but he could see the way Patrick’s shoulders were tensed and figured that it would be best to leave it alone. He tried to push down the voice in his head, that sounded a lot like Alexis, telling him that Patrick was jealous.

“Can I tell you something kind of weird?” He finds himself saying, cursing himself as soon as the words leave his lips. But once he notices the tension leave Patrick’s shoulders, he can’t help but be glad he said something, even though he’s about to say something embarrassing.

Patrick turned back around and nodded. “You can tell me anything,”

_Not everything._ David thought but quickly shook that thought away.

“A part of me wants to go back to when I first starting dating him,” David let out a dark chuckle. “I mean, if you could call it dating,”

“How come?”

“Because he was the one that made me realize how everybody was using me for money or drugs or sex,” David laughed again, looking away from Patrick, afraid that if he glanced at him, the tears would fall from his eyes. “But I wasn’t aware of it until I saw what he was doing. Then I started noticing everybody around me doing the same thing.”

“David-“ Patrick’s voice was full of emotion and David shook his head.

“I wish I could go back to a time where I thought people genuinely liked me, go back to a time before I knew the truth,”

“I don’t know about any of the assholes back in New York, but everybody here likes you,” Patrick walked up beside him and nudged him. “And I don’t know who wouldn’t want to spend time with you. In the few weeks we’ve known each other, you’ve become one of my favorite people to talk to.”

David felt his heart leap into his throat. He can feel his face heating up from the compliment and he kind of wants to cry, but he blinks to stop himself. “Really?” He croaks and Patrick smiles shyly.

“Yes,”

David clears his throat and stands up straighter. “Well, you’ve become one of my favorite people to talk to,” He breathes and Patrick smiled but didn’t say anything in response.

David follows his lead and starts to unpack boxes full of product, enjoying the electricity that seemed to be in the room now. He had a small smile on his face, doing his best to keep from smiling any wider because he knew that once he did, he wouldn’t be able to stop.

Dealing with Sebastien this week was worth it in the end because he got to hear those words fall from Patrick’s mouth.

**Author's Note:**

> Again, let me know if you want any headcanons or specific songs used in later stories! Thanks for reading!


End file.
